COVID-19 Treatments: From scientific trials to anecdotal woo

drummerboy said:

The NIH is funding a study to see if prayer helps COVID patients.

oy.

 Wha-a-a-ttttt? Yeesh. I suppose it has some sort of rationale.

This study acknowledges that certainly doesn't hurt but the benefits are not clear.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22894887/

I wonder if the folks wanting this study suggested a strict treatment model, such as 
Prayer only tx vs Control (sham) tx vs Drug A tx vs Drug B tx ...

How would you simulate, but not actually do, a prayer treatment that would fool the patient into believing they were being prayed for? Although, this group would be practically impossible since anyone who knew of their friend or relative getting treatment for some illness might be praying for them somehow.

Wishing them ill??
Cursing them (shaking the bone)? or Just sending ‘good thoughts/kind wishes’?
or including atheists?